1.Hedonism is the
belief that life should be devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and
self-gratification.

2.Most of the
time, this pleasure and gratification come from the indulgence in sensual
pleasures.

B.In the days of Paul,
Greek was the culture of the world.

1.They had many
“fertility” gods and goddesses: Aphrodite, Artemis, Cybele, Dionysus, Eros,
and Rhea were just a few.

2.These gods and
goddesses were worshipped through the sexual gratification of their subjects:
temple prostitutes, festivals involving orgies, and the practice of
homosexuality and lesbianism.

C.Many of these gods and goddesses were worshipped in the city of Thessalonica.
Paul’s powerful preaching, however, had caused some of the citizens of this
city to turn away from these gods and had turned to the living God (I Thess.
1:9).

For they themselves shew of us what
manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to
serve the living and true God.

D.Living in the midst of a
society filled with immorality would be extremely difficult for these new
Christians.

1.The
Thessalonians would be constantly tempted by family and friends to fulfill their
fleshly desires.

2.Sanctification
was essential for these new Christians. Thus, Paul writes about it in I
Thessalonians 4:1-8.

a.I Thessalonians
4:3a

For this is the will of God, even
your sanctification…

b.Definition of
sanctification

1)Strong
(38): purification, that is, (the state) purity

2)Thayer:
consecration, the sanctification of heart and life

c.To practice
sanctification would require self-control by the Thessalonians

E.The text we will study in this lesson is I Thessalonians 4:1-8. We have
entitled this lesson: “A Walk in Sanctification.”

I.PLEA (I Thess. 4:1-2)

Furthermore then we beseech you,
brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how
ye ought to walk and to please God so ye would abound more and more. For ye
know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

b.How they were to
do this had already been taught to them by the apostle Paul. He taught them
many things during his stay when he established the church.

c.He begs them to
do this, and, then, he calls them close and begs again (beseech and exhort).

2.Two points:

a.This should be
the desire of every child of God (Eccl. 12:13).

Let us hear the conclusion of the
whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty
of man.

b.When our lives
are conducted properly, God is pleased.

1)One
definition of that word is that His emotions are excited.

2)He sees and is
stirred with pleasure much like a parent whose child has obeyed.

B.Superabound

1.Paul did not
want the Thessalonians to simply walk and please God.

2.He wanted them
to “abound more and more.”

a.Definition

1)Strong
(4050): to superabound, abound in excess, be superfluous

2)Thayer: to
abound, overflow, to be abundantly furnished with

b.Lesson: God
does not want His people to “just get by” or “cut it close.” He does not want
His people to be mediocre. When it comes to our obedience, He wants us to
overflow and to be super abundant.

C.Standard

1.Paul now
establishes the standard of the Christian’s behavior.

2.For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

a.The word
“commandments” involves mandates and charges.

b.Paul had given
these young Christians orders and rules and regulations from God as to how to
conduct themselves.

c.NOTE: There are
a lot of people who do not like to be told how to live and what to do. They
don’t like mandates. For that reason, they do not like the Bible.

d.Christians are not of
this mindset.

1)They know
that God’s commands are good and right.

2)They understand
that in keeping of them there is great reward (Ps. 119:47).

And I will delight myself in thy
commandments, which I have loved.

II.PURITY
(I Thess. 4:3-6a)

A.Stated

1.Because of the
immorality of this city, one of the commands Paul empha-sized was
sanctification or purity.

2.He challenges
them with this teaching again in this letter (I Thess. 4:3).

For this is the will of God, even
your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.

a.He tells them
that this is God’s will.

1)It is what
God had determined should be done.

2)It is His wish,
desire, and decree.

b.He also reveals
that sanctification is a two-sided coin.

1)There is
the practice of sanctification.

2)There is the
abstinence from fornication.

B.Steps

1.Step #1:
Practice Purity

For this is the will of God, even
your sanctification…

a.Paul told
Timothy: Keep thyself pure (I Tim. 5:22).

b.This process
begins in the mind.

1)Our
actions originate in the mind (Prov. 4:23).

Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life.

2)If we want our
actions to be pure, we must make certain that our minds are pure (Phil. 4:8).

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things
are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things.

2.Step #2: Flee
fornication

…that ye should abstain from
fornication.

a.Fornication is a
broad term that encompasses many forms of illicit sexual behavior: adultery,
homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, sex before marriage, sexual intercourse
with a divorced man or woman.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as
strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.

2)I Peter 4:2

That he should no longer live the
rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

5.Step #5: Forbid
fraud

That no man go beyond and defraud
his brother in any matter…

a.The practices of
the Gentiles involved adultery and fornication with another’s wife or children.

b.Paul exhorts the
Thessalonians not to defraud their neighbor.

1)Defraud

a)Strong (4122):
to overreach

b)Thayer: to gain
or take advantage of another

2)Example: David
who took Bathsheba from Uriah (i.e., Nathan’s parable about the ewe lamb, II
Sam. 12:1-4).

c.God has placed
the sexual experience with the marriage relationship (Heb. 13:4). Man needs to
keep it there. He does not need to defraud, or, take advantage of his neighbor
by taking his wife (Exo. 20:17; Prov. 5:15-19).

III.PUNISHMENT
(I Thess. 4:6b-8)

A. The Avenger (I Thess. 4:6b)

…because that the Lord is the
avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

1.Man does not
always consider:

a.The consequences
of his actions

b.The fact that
future events are still to come

2.One day every
individual will have to deal with God.

a.Romans 2:6

Who will render to every man
according to his deeds.

b.Romans 14:12

So then every one of us shall give
account of himself to God.

3.To those who
have failed to sanctify themselves, the Lord will be an avenger.

a.Definition

1)Strong
(1558): one who carries out justice, punisher

2)Thayer:
exacting penalty from one, an avenger, punisher

b.The fleshly,
sinful, and carnal will have the wrath of God poured out on them (Rom. 1:18).

For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the
truth in unrighteousness.

B.The Authorization (I
Thess. 4:7)

But God hath not called us unto
uncleanness, but unto holiness.

1.God called us by
the gospel (II Thess. 2:14).

2.This call involved
a life of holiness. This is the same word translated sanctification
previously.

3.God did not call
us to an immoral lifestyle.

4.I Peter 1:14-16

As obedient children, not fashioning
yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which
hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conver-sation and
godliness; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

C.The Actuality (I Thess. 4:8)

He therefore that despiseth,
despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit.

1.It was Paul who
had established this church and who had instructed her members.

2.Some might think
that if they did not follow the instructions given that they were merely
rejecting what man said.

3.Not so! To
reject the teachings of the apostle was to reject the teachings of God Himself
(Luke 10:16).

He that heareth you heareth me; and
he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that
sent me.

4.If they rejected
Paul, why was this also rejecting God? Because God had given to these inspired
individuals His Spirit so they could reveal His mind to man (I Cor. 2:9-13; II
Pet. 1:21-22).

CONCLUSION

A.This lesson contains a very
simple message.

1.God’s will for
us is sanctification or purity.

2.Sanctification
involves two things:

a.Doing the right
things

b.Abstaining from
carnal lust and practices like fornication

c.Those who reject
sanctification will deal with the avenger, the Lord Jesus Christ, because it is
He they have despised.

B.I Thessalonians 4:1

Furthermore then we beseech you,
brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how
ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.